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moving on from broken friendship.

9 replies

FiveNightsAtMummys · 03/09/2018 04:52

Sorry this is long, please be gentle as i'm quite fragile and have very low self esteem.

Quick background, I have had ocd,anxiety and depression most of my life. Unfortunately past 3 or 4 years my OCD got out of control, really really bad I was existing rather than living. My self esteem sunk to rock bottom. I had a good friend who I spoke to via text message most days. As ocd got worse I struggled with this as all my time was consumed with ocd. I couldn't concentrate on normal conversations as I was too wrapped up in my own OCD world, it was hell.

I gradually started improving, still spoke to friend but still struggled.
She went quiet for a few weeks, I send her a text and asked if she was ok. She told me I had deeply offended her last time we spoke. I looked back through my texts and saw the message she was referring too. I wasn't sure how she took offence and I tried to explain how I had ment it. She took hours to reply (she knows this would make me panic) I got into a state and started sending lots of sorry messages.
I showed dh the message and asked if I had said anything offensive, I also showed a friend both said I hadn't said anything offensive for her to take the wrong way. When she replied i apologised again and tried to explain I'd be really struggling with ocd and really found conversations hard so If I come across blunt or harsh It really wasn't ment that way. She said she fully understood OCD so she knows exactly what it's like (She doesn't have ocd) I felt a bit taken a back by that comment but didn't say anything. She told me she liked the old me and not the new me. That really hurt as I can't suddenly click my fingers and get rid of the OCD.

We decided to try and make the friendship work. She kept saying let's see how it goes. I felt like I was walking on egg shells the next few months, I tried my best to make conversation, most replies were met with a closed answer. I got really upset about it all one evening and I tried to call her to just speak and sort it out as we'd only texted. She didn't answer and later said it was because she had a migraine. I said I'd ring her the following day, She told me not too as she doesn't do phone calls. ( I've seen her on the phone alot so it was just me she didn't want to talk too). I asked if we could meet, she said yes but then a few days before I checked we were still ok to meet, she kept saying yes and why wouldn't we be and she'd tell me if anything changes. I felt like I'd been told off, that's how she made me feel i dont know if that's just in my head tho or if it was intentional. The evening before we were due to meet I saw the weather forecast was rain and we were ment to meet at a park. I messaged and said can we meet somewhere indoors and suggested some places. She then told me she wasn't meeting me as she doesn't feel were there yet friendship wise. She said she didn't want to stop being friends but basically she didn't want to meet me as she couldn't deal with me as I am now.

I felt stupid and humiliated. I feel like she's never forgiven me and has been stringing me on for months and making me anxious on purpose. I've been so anxious every time I text her, re reading everything, checking my phone every too mins to she if shed replied and wondering if she'd took offence go something.

In the end I said I wanted to be her friend but didn't want to force her to be mine and wished her luck in her new job.
She didn't reply- message loud and clear.

She then kept me on friend on twitter and kept posting how great a mutal friend of ours is. I didn't contact her I thought she'd contact me when she was ready. The suddenly months later she deleted me but not dh (who isn't her friend in rl). I also noticed today that mutual friend has deleted me. She had no reason too as we didn't speak much so clearly the "good" friend must of been saying horrible things about me to her.

It's all trivial I know, but it's really bothering me to the point it's almost 5am and and I can't stop obsessing over it. I don't know what to do. I don't want to talk to ex friend as I know this would cause me more anxiety but I just don't know how to deal with it as it's been months now and I really want to move on and be able to sleep. I feel like I'm a terrible person, why did not want to be my friend? I just feel sad. I've lost friends before but it's not bothered me to this extent.

OP posts:
FiveNightsAtMummys · 03/09/2018 04:53

I did out paragraphs in I'm so sorry I must of done it wrong :(

OP posts:
scatteredglitter · 03/09/2018 05:39

She sounds like she was getting a kick out of the power balance in your relationship she was calling the shots and manipulating you
You would likely be better off without her
Can you work on your self esteem a bit and when you feel ready maybe try new ways to make friends - a group or hobby or something that will fit for you.
OCD much be so difficult and you sound so strong for coming through it, you need to fill you life with people who support you not dangle and manipulate you.
So what if you don't have her in your life sh really doesn't sound worth the effort.
Delete her from your social media and don't look her up. You ll only run yourself down if you re focusing on her all the time. She likely has her own stuff going on too. She isn't the right person to be your friend right now. Friendships move change and sometimes go stale, sounds like this one did.
Move on for your own sake. Nourish the friedships that support you and make you feel happy and good about yourself.

dimsum123 · 03/09/2018 05:48

I've been through something similar. It was very hard, worse almost than breaking up with a boyfriend.

It took over 2 years, but I am over it now. I've moved on. Time is the healer as they say.

bloomingfeck · 03/09/2018 06:00

Sorry OP Thanks I have OCD too. It's hell and it rules everything when at its worst. I tend not to care so much if people cut me off due to it as I probably am incapable of engaging on the level they want anyway so for me I guess it's like a get out clause of having to pretend I'm ok when I'm not which actually suits me but it's quite sad that I'd prefer to lose friends at times due to OCD. Blabbering but really just wanted to say I get it.

What really upsets me though is when I get cut off I usually hear back that I'm too controlling... and it is always related to my OCD as obviously I do try to control everything I can and it's hard/impossible if something's triggering an anxiety for me not to do something to reduce the anxiety but it bloody stings to hear you're controlling when it's an illness and not something you would ever do out of choice if you could possibly help it.

Some friends do understand though, those are the ones you need - I have ones now who over years let me come closer and pull away depending on where I am without holding it against me. From the other side I did cut off a friend myself due to her MH as it had become too demanding and began to badly affect my own MH. I still feel sad I had to do it but I know I it was the right thing though, but I do worry she might feel the way you are feeling now because of it Sad

stellavisionandunderstanding · 03/09/2018 06:44

This has happened to me and I have got stronger from it. I messaged said friend and told her exactly how she had made me feel; she had sent a cutting email a year before outlining the fact that I judge her (never had, never would) about being single and childless (good Lord!!). I tried to make contact and she ignored me. A year later I sent an email telling her exactly what I thought of her, how horrible she was, that she must be full of issues and just what a cow she was. Said, I could never be in her company as I'd be walking on egg shells all the time. For that reasons, I'd rather be at home, read and watch TV. Best things I did, was emailing her when I did and laying it all to rest. What a horrible woman and poor poor you! You do not need her in your life!

Zoflorabore · 03/09/2018 07:05

Another OCD sufferer here op and I want to tell you that you've done nothing wrong at all. Nothing.

Some people are just weird ( myself included sometimes! ) and it seems to me that she has taken this comment and used it unnecessarily on you like some sort of grudge.

True friends, real friends, do not behave this way so on reflection I believe you're better off without someone like her in your life.

OCD is all consuming so anything external that is causing you so much upset is going to worsen your condition.
Her loss loveFlowers

FiveNightsAtMummys · 03/09/2018 11:28

Thank you all for your kind words and support! Flowers The way it all ended made me feel like I was this terrible person, I still don't get what I've done and have been going over it all in my brain.

I'm sorry some of you have been through similar and are also suffering with ocd/ other mh issues. Its horrible and makes me question every other friendship I have (not that I have many).

Blooming - I understand that too, another friend was having a rough time recently and confinding in me. I got really overwhelmed with her problems and It was making my mh bad. Thankfully it was only a short rough patch but I can see how that would make you want to distance yourself..

Ok, I've delete her off all social media and blocked her. Her dh and dc are still friends, do i deleted them too and get my dh to delete them all? I don't know why she's got her friend go delete me but has left her own dh and dc as friends..

My dc and her dc were friends, they don't know any thing is wrong just that we've not seen them for a while. Do I delete them of there social media too?

Sorry for all the questions I just feel bad and not sure what the best thing to do is.

OP posts:
FiveNightsAtMummys · 03/09/2018 14:21

I've deleted her dc,dh and blocked them. I'm still not sure what to do about the Dcs

OP posts:
stellavisionandunderstanding · 03/09/2018 15:23

From experience, their friendship will fizzle out.

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